Real Madrid tracking pair of French youngsters
Stuart Telford
- Updated: 20 Jul 2022 14:57 BST
- 3 min read
Real Madrid have a rich history of French players, and that's not about to let up with two more talented Gallic youngsters added to the list of potential recruits for the Spanish giants.
From Raymond Kopa winning three European Cups in the 1950s to Zinedine Zidane winning all there is to win as a player and then coach through to Ballon d'Or frontrunner Karim Benzema today, French players have lit up the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
In Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Real have dropped €140 million on French midfield talent in consecutive summers, meanwhile. And those two could be joined by more of their countrymen in coming transfer windows.
🚨 OFFICIAL: Real Madrid have confirmed they have signed Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco.
Deal worth €100m, with €20m of that to come in bonuses. pic.twitter.com/6jrQprLF4b— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) June 11, 2022
According to journalist Ekrem Konur, the Spanish champions are keeping tabs on Nice forward Amine Gouri and Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki, aged 22 and 18 respectively. The pair overlapped two year in OL's fabled academy, the former then leaving in search of first-team opportunities in 2020.
Gouiri has seized that chance, plundering 28 goals and 18 assists in his 84 matches in all competitions since his €7 million move to the Côte d'Azur - numbers even more impressive considering that he only recently moved to a central striking position from the left wing.
Cherki on the rise
Cherki, in contrast, has elected to try his luck at the Groupama Stadium, and has already racked up 63 appearances - including nine goals and 10 assists - despite not turning 19 until next month.
The pair are also France under-21 teammates. Gouri has 10 goals in 21 appearances with les Bluets, while Cherki has four in four.
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As well as signing Tchouameni this summer, Real have picked up Germany centre-back Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer from Chelsea, but their transfer spending is unlikely to be finished as they look to pad out a squad getting ready to defend its La Liga and Champions League titles.
Football Transfers rates Gouiri and Cherki at €25m and €8m respectively with its sophisticated in-house algorithm, so the French pair would be well within los Blancos' budget, especially with Gareth Bale (LAFC) and Luka Jovic (Fiorentina) now off the wage bill.
As well as Benzema and Tchouameni, Gouri and Cherki would be joined by fellow Frenchman Ferland Mendy - another former Lyon player - if they could be tempted to the Spanish capital for next season.
